Demographics of Burma
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is an overview of the demographics of Burma (or Myanmar), including statistics such as population and religious affiliation.
At the time of the last official census in Burma, 31 March 1983, the population was 35,442,972. As of July 2003, this was estimated by the CIA World Factbook to have increased to 42,510,537; however, many other estimates put this much higher, at around 50-60 million. Estimates for Burma explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.
No trustworthy census of Burma has occurred since the 1930s. In the 1940s, the detailed census results were destroyed during the Japanese invasion of 1942. Census results after that time have been flawed by civil wars and a series of military governments. The last official census in 1983 occurred at a time when large parts of the country were controlled by insurgent groups and inaccessible to the government.
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[edit] Ethnic groups
The Burmese government identifies eight major national ethnic races (which comprise 135 "distinct" ethnic groups), which include the Bamar (68%), Shan (9%), Kayin (7%), Rakhine (4%), Mon (2%), Kayah, and Kachin. However, the government classification system is flawed, because it groups ethnic groups under ethnic races by geography, rather than by linguistic or genetic similarity (e.g. the Kokang are under the Shan ethnic race, although they are ethnic Chinese). Unrecognised ethnic groups include Burmese Indians and Burmese Chinese, who form 2% and 3% of the population respectively. The remaining 5% of the population belong to small ethnic groups such as the remnants of the Anglo-Burmese and Anglo-Indian communities, as well as the Padaung and Moken.
[edit] Language
The official language and primary medium of instruction of Burma is Burmese (65%). However, a diversity of languages is spoken in Burma, and includes Shan (6.4%), Karen (5.2%), Kachin (1.8%), Chin (1.6%), Mon (1.5%), and Rakhine (1.5%). English is also spoken, particularly by the educated urban elite, and is the secondary language learnt in government schools.
[edit] Religious affiliation
| Faith | % (2003 est.) |
|---|---|
| Total Buddhism | 89% |
| Theravada Buddhism | 89% |
| Mahayana Buddhism | <1% |
| Total Christianity | 4% |
| Baptist | 3% |
| Roman Catholicism | 1% |
| Total Islam | 4% |
| Sunni Islam | ? |
| Shi'a Islam | ? |
| Total other religions | 3% |
| Animism | 1% |
| Other (inc. Hinduism) | 2% |
See also: Buddhism in Burma, Myanmar Baptist Convention
[edit] Miscellaneous statistics
Age structure: (2003 est.)
- 0-14 years: 28.1% (male 6,091,220; female 5,840,968)
- 15-64 years: 67% (male 14,162,190; female 14,347,751)
- 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 916,702; female 1,151,706)
Population growth rate: 0.52% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: 19.15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: 12.17 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.81 migrants/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Human sex ratios: (2003 est.)
- at birth: 1.06 males/female
- under 15 years: 1.04 males/female
- 15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
- 65 years and over: 0.8 male/female
- total population: 0.99 male/female
Infant mortality rate: 70.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Life expectancy: (2003 est.)
- total population: 55.79 years
- male: 54.12 years
- female: 57.56 years
Total fertility rate: 2.15 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Literacy: (age 15 and over can read and write, official statistics)
- total population: 83.1%
- male: 88.7%
- female: 77.7% (1995 est.)
[edit] References
- Population Projections for Myanmar, 1983-2013 - Asia Pacific Population Journal, Vol. 6, No. 2 (PDF document)
- This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain.
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